Norton Internet Security facts for kids

Norton Internet Security was a computer program made by Symantec Corporation. It helped protect computers from harmful software called malware (like viruses). This program was available for a certain time period, like a subscription.

It used special ways to find and stop viruses and other bad programs. It also had a personal firewall (like a security guard for your internet connection). Other features included filtering out unwanted emails (email spam) and protecting you from tricky websites (phishing).

Norton Internet Security was a main Norton product for 14 years. It was replaced by Norton Security in 2014. Later, in 2019, that program was renamed to Norton 360.

Symantec sold Norton Internet Security in different ways. You could download it, buy it on a CD, or it came pre-installed on some computers. Some stores even sold it on a USB flash drive. In 2007, Norton Internet Security was very popular. It held 61% of the market share for security software in the United States.

History of Norton Security Software

In August 1990, Symantec bought a company called Peter Norton Computing. This company, founded by Peter Norton, made different programs for computers, including an antivirus. Symantec kept developing these programs under the "Norton" name. Peter Norton's famous crossed-arm pose was often seen on the product boxes.

Users who had versions from 2006 or later could easily update their software. They didn't need to buy a new subscription. The updated program would keep their old subscription information.

The releases were named by year, like "Norton Internet Security 2000." But they also had internal version numbers. For example, the 2008 edition was version 15.x. After the 2013 release (version 20.x), the product stopped using the year in its name.

Norton for Windows Computers

Early Versions (2000-2001)

Norton Internet Security 2000 came out on January 10, 2000. It was Symantec's first step beyond just virus protection. This version included a personal firewall that could block unwanted internet traffic. It also helped remove cookies and block ads. Some users found the ad blocker could sometimes remove things that weren't ads.

A "Family Edition" was also available. This version had parental controls. A team of people at Symantec searched the internet for inappropriate content. They put these sites on a blacklist of about 36,000 sites. Parents could add more sites to block. They could also choose to block all sites and only allow specific ones. This edition could also stop personal information from being sent online.

Version 2001 (2.5) was released on September 18, 2000. It worked with Windows ME, Windows 9x, Windows NT, and Windows 2000. After major virus attacks, this version could block harmful scripts by looking at how they behaved. The firewall could detect and block attempts to scan your computer's ports. It could also make your computer "stealth," meaning it was hidden from view online.

Updates and New Features (2002-2004)

Version 2002 was released on August 28, 2001. The "Family Edition" was removed, and parental controls were included in the main program. This version was easier and faster to install. It also stopped supporting Windows 95. The firewall could now verify programs against a list of trusted digital signatures. This helped make sure only safe programs could access the internet.

A Professional Edition was released on December 11, 2001. It was made for businesses. This version had "Norton Intrusion Detection," which stopped suspicious connections and attacks like the Code Red worm.

Version 2003 was released on September 16, 2002. This version added "Norton Spam Alert" to help reduce unwanted emails (spam). The filter scanned the whole message, not just keywords. If a message was spam, Norton would add "Spam Alert:" to the subject line. Users could then set rules to delete or move these messages.

The main screen of the program was updated. It used green and red lights to show which features were working well. A "Block Traffic" button could stop all internet traffic. A new "Visual Tracker" showed where attacks were coming from on a map.

Version 2004, released on September 8, 2003, added protection against adware, spyware, and keyloggers. However, some tests showed this protection was not very strong. The spam filter, now called Norton AntiSpam, could correctly identify most spam messages.

This version also introduced product activation. After installing, users had 15 days to activate their copy using a special product key. If they didn't, the program would stop working.

Enhanced Protection (2005-2007)

Symantec released Version 2005 on August 17, 2004. This version focused more on spyware detection. It listed threats and showed which ones needed user action. However, scans could take a long time.

"Internet Worm Protection" was added. This feature blocked worms that tried to find open connections on computers. This was important after worms like MSBlast (2003) and Sasser (2004) caused problems. This version also added phishing protection. It warned users if they were sending private information to a website not on their trusted list.

Norton AntiSpam now checked emails for fake website links. It could also block emails based on language. Support for Yahoo! Mail and Hotmail was added.

Norton Internet Security 2006 came out on September 26, 2005. It had a new main screen called the "Norton Protection Center." This screen showed all security information in one place. It also showed how secure your computer was for tasks like email and browsing. This version improved spyware detection and was better at finding keyloggers.

The firewall was very strong. It could hide all your computer's ports from online attacks. It was also very hard to turn off or disable. This version no longer supported Windows 98.

The 2007 version was released on September 12, 2006. It used less computer memory and scanned faster. Spam filtering and parental controls became separate parts of the program. Anti-phishing was built into Internet Explorer. It checked websites for fake links and blocked access to suspicious sites. This version also used new technology to find rootkits, which are hidden malicious programs. It stopped supporting Windows 2000.

Advanced Features (2008-2012)

The 2008 version was released on August 28, 2007. It added support for Windows Vista 64-bit. New features included SONAR, which watched programs for bad behavior. "Norton Identity Safe" stored personal information to fill out online forms safely. "Browser Defender" helped stop harmful downloads from websites. A "Network Map" showed other computers on your network that had Norton Internet Security 2008 installed.

Phishing protection now worked with Mozilla Firefox. Tests showed Norton blocked most phishing sites. The firewall was still very strong and blocked most attempts to get past it. Malware detection and removal were also very good. However, a full scan could take almost an hour.

The 2009 version was released on September 9, 2008. Symantec aimed to make it install in under a minute and use less computer memory. They also wanted it to load faster when the computer started. "Norton Insight" was a new technology that helped speed up scans. It used information from other Norton users to skip scanning files that were known to be safe.

Updates, called "Norton Pulse Updates," were sent more often (every 5 to 15 minutes). "Silent Mode" automatically stopped alerts and updates when you were using a program in full-screen mode. This version also included "Norton Safe Web," which showed if websites were safe in search results.

The 2010 version was released on September 8, 2009. This version introduced "Project Quorum," which used reputation-based threat detection. This meant it looked at how programs behaved and how many other Norton users had them. This helped find new threats that didn't have known signatures yet.

Parental controls were improved with a free subscription to "OnlineFamily.Norton." Spam filtering also got better, with very few valid emails being marked as spam. "Autospy" helped users understand what Norton did when it found malware. It showed what the malware tried to do and how Norton stopped it.

The 2011 version was released on August 31, 2010. It had a new look and better malware scanning. Symantec also released a tool that scanned your Facebook feed for harmful links. This version included "Norton Rescue Tools," like "Norton Bootable Recovery tool" and "Norton Power Eraser," which helped fix deeply infected systems.

Norton Internet Security 2012 was released on September 6, 2011. "Download Insight 2.0" checked files for safety and how well they worked on different Windows versions. It also had improved tools for removing infections. A new tool called "Norton Management" helped you manage Norton on different computers from one place.

This version also simplified the user interface. It had only three main buttons. It also included "Bandwidth metering," which helped control how much internet data the program used. This was useful for networks with limited data.

Final Versions (2013-2015)

Version 20 (2013) stopped using the year in its name. It automatically updated itself as new versions became available. It had a new look that worked well with touchscreens. It also included "Social Networking Protection" and was the first version to officially support Windows 8.

Version 21.x (2014) was released on October 7, 2013. This was the last version marketed as Norton Internet Security. It was replaced by Norton Security.

A version 22.5 update was released in June 2015. It had a new look and supported Windows 10.

Norton for Netbooks

Symantec also made a special version of Norton Internet Security for netbooks. Netbooks are small, lightweight laptops. This version was designed to work well with their smaller screens and save battery power. It also offered free access to Norton's online backup and parental controls.

Norton for Mac Computers

Early Mac Versions (2000-2003)

Norton Internet Security version 1.0 for Mac came out on November 1, 2000. It could find and remove both Windows and Mac viruses. It also had a firewall, ad blocking, parental controls, and could stop private information from leaving your computer. It worked with Mac OS 8.1.

Version 2.0 for Mac was released on May 10, 2002. This version could connect to the WHOIS database. This allowed users to find out more about computers that were attacking them.

Version 3.0 for Mac was released on May 17, 2003. The firewall in this version automatically managed internet access. It no longer supported Mac OS 8. This version was not compatible with Mac OS X 10.4, also known as "Tiger."

Later Mac Versions (2008)

Version 4.0 for Mac was released on December 18, 2008. Symantec sold it in a bundle with the 2009 Windows version. The firewall now blocked access to harmful websites using a blacklist. It also added protection against exploits (ways attackers use software weaknesses) and phishing protection. It supported Mac OS X 10.4.11 or newer.

Norton Security and Norton 360

In September 2014, Norton Internet Security became part of Norton Security. This was part of Symantec's plan to simplify its Norton products.

In 2019, Gen Digital (which used to be Symantec) renamed the Norton Security products to a new Norton 360 suite.

Images for kids

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  Norton Internet Security 2006's main interface

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  The main user interface of Norton Internet Security 2009

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  The old Norton logo before the merger

See also

In Spanish: Norton Internet Security para niños

• Internet security
• Comparison of antivirus software
• Peter Norton
• Norton Antivirus
• Norton 360

External links

• Official website
  • Norton Internet Security For Windows
  • Norton Internet Security For Mac
  • Norton Partner Portal

pt:Norton AntiVírus